A Treatise of the Cohabitation Of the Faithful with the Unfaithful Part 4

for his mynde was not to drawe the people awaye from the worshippe of the G.o.d Iehouah / but he feared les if they sholde customablie go to the temple at Hierusalem / the people wolde fall from his kingdom and ioyne themseues agayne to the house d stocke of Dauid: wherfore he sekinge his owne profite / sayde / that it was not nedefull that they sholde go vp vnto the temple / and to the Arke of the couenaunte when they wolde worship the true G.o.d: for the same G.o.d which was represented vnto th? by the Arke of wodde d the t?ple / mighte euen aswell be represented vnto them by these newe signes and golden calues: There is no chaunge but eu? of the forme and owtwarde shape: for as at Hierusalem by the Arke / so here by the calues the liuinge G.o.d sholde be represented: And what makethe yt matter what the signe be / so the worshippe be all oone: Therfore the same worshipp that ells they sholde do at Hierusalem / they mighte more commodiusli do yt in bethel / and dan. So that he dothe nothynge ells / but establishe this owtwarde worke / in wich he wolde haue th? worship the true G.o.d: but he hade no warraunte in G.o.dds worde for it / and that beinge absent / ther is nothinge in his acte remayninge but mans worcke / supersticion / and Idolatrie: so is it iudged. And therfor none of his subiectes shuld haue herckned to hym. So now / when Tiraunts / Kinges / Queenes / Bisshopps / and such other as ar the soudiours of Antichriste / the Pope I meane / do compel and constrayn men vnto such vile and vnG.o.dly supersticions as the popishe brood haue and do sett upp, althoughe they do pretend a goode well willing mynde vnto their poeple and countrith (as thei saye) and that all shalbe for their wealthe: And thoughe they do also saye / that theise thinges ar of an auncient begynynge and ctynuance: Yet indeed they ar but popishe Idolatrours / and to Idolatrie do they trayn men. Therfor their subiectes must not herken vnto them neither obey them herin / But do rather as S. Paule teachith.

[[Ephes. 5.]]

Haue no felowshipp with their vnfruitfull works / but rather reproue them. He callith theim their worckes, for G.o.ds worckes they c not be called / bicause they do differ / d swarue fr his worde: with th? (saithe he) haue no felowshipp What then is to be doon in that case? We must (Paule saith) reproue theim.

And that so oft as neede shall require / to reproue theim with greate libertie and boldenes: So farr must we be from dissemblinge with them / that we must (he saithe) reproue them.

If thou be a preacher / preache against them: If thow be noone / yet speake against them / reproue them / and condemn them. But our men do saye / That it wer very perillus to do thus: for then (saye they) shall we be burned / or hanged / we shall loose our goodes / londes / and promocions / I heare you well. And do yowe on the other part consider this as well / that ther is not one of vs all which hath receiued christendome vnder such a couuenaunt and condicion / that with it he shuld haue and holde in safetie his lyfe / his ritches / and dignities without perseqution: it is saide vnto vs / and in this case as a lawe layed vppon vs all /

[[Math. 16.]]

that Except we do renownce and vtterly forsake all our thinges and take vpp our crosses and folow christe / we can not be his disciples / and except we do lose our lyues we shall not saue them.

This verily / this must we determyn with our selues / this must we appoint our selues vnto / to do and abide this must we caste our acompt / To this euery christian must be so readie and bent / that he shuld not doubt / no not deliberate or take aduise of this matier.

[[Ciprian.]]

That example of Cyprian is to be sett before our eyes: When he was brought vnto the place wher he shuld suffer deathe / The magistrate being very desirus indede to deliuer hym from deathe / sayde vnto hym. Now I do gyue the s.p.a.ce to deliberate and aduise thi self well / whether thow wilt thus Wrechedly dye / or obey / and be let go free. To wh this G.o.dly m answered. In so holy a thinge / ther is no deliberacion or aduise to be taken. This readines must euery christian haue in this case to beare the crosse d to followe Christe as Christes disciple. Trulye they whiche be not this wise mynded / but to saue their lyues and goodes do defile them selues with ma.s.ses / and wicked supersticions / art greuouslye punished for it euen presentlie:

[[a greuus punishement.]]

firste their owne conscience dothe miserably torment th?.

Secondlie the light of G.o.ddes truithe which was opened vnto their mynde is by lytell and lytell put owt. Then the loue of the truithe and the hate of falshode waxeth colde in them.

fourthly their mynde becommith nomore displeased or vnquieted for the euill that they do / but they begynne to please them selues in this their euill and dissemblinge / yea d do go aboute to persuade others uto the same. Laste of all they begyn to hate th? which do not harcken to their aduise and counsell / which is to do as they do / yea and they stirre vp againste th?

sharpe persequti / for so moche as in th? lyethe. This hathe bene the moste vnhappie ende of many. But this is not the end of all their miserie / as ye may well perceyue / if ye do consider what is appointed to be their perpetuall porcion / which shalbe payed them full truly in the laste daye. Let them therfore beware of this bottomles pytt which feare to breake their neckes. But some there are which in this their dissemblinge are wonte to defende th? selues after this sorte: we do not theis thinges (saye they) with our hartes / we do only thus behaue our selues in bodie / and in outward behauiour. To whom I do answer: G.o.d he is the lorde of harte and bodie / as he requireth the worshippe of the harte / euen as iustlie and seuerlie dothe he commaunde the owtwarde worshippe of the bodye: for these owtwarde doinges are a kinde of confession / and therfore as men owght to be sounde and vprighte in the beleif of harte / so owght they to be in owtwarde cfessinge and expressinge of their G.o.dlynes and religi. The doinges of men be as it were a tongue: The tongue dothe confes the thinge that lyeth in the harte by wordes: so doinges do giue a confession therof in dede: As he therfore which denyethe with tongue is a denyer of Christe / so he that in owtwarde worckes and doinges denyeth Christ / is iustlie called a deniar. Of whom Christe doth saye.

[[mat. 10.]]

he that denyeth me before men / him will I denye before my father which is in heau?: wherfore as the tgue owghte not in the confession of G.o.dlines and religion to differ from the mynde / so muste not the owtwarde doinges of the body disagree from the same. And vnto these men this also I saye / with paule /

[[Rom. 10.]]

that the belefe of the harte doth iustifie / but the mouthe and owtwarde doinges do make the confession vnto saluation / And therfore Christe dothe saie /

[[mar. 8.]]

he that is ashamed of me before men / of him will I also be ashamed before my father which is in heauen. Morouer I wold it wer well knowen vnto these men / that it is no true faythe which doth not breake forthe in workinge that worke which dothe agree with faithe. As is writen of Christe / who verylie soughte the glorye of his father / The zeale of thy house hathe eat? me / This zeale dyd not lye in Christes brest only / but it brake forthe into wordes / as it apeareth by his sermons / and into deedes also / as yt apeareth ther / wher he withe a whippe dyd dryue the byars and sellers owt of the temple:

This is a zeale / which only deseruyth the name of a christian zeale. And euen the same I saye of faythe. What zeale th? / what faithe / what studie or care for faithe is it / that these men do bragge of / that they haue shutt vp so close in their brestes that it breaketh not forthe into wordes and dedes? As This true christian zeale / and their dissemblinge can not be together in oone man / euen so true and lyuely faith can not lurcke in such a dissemblinge breste. ffurthermore / there are two kindes of worshippe due vnto G.o.d / an inwarde / and an outwarde worshippe / The inwarde worshippe is of the mynde / that is when we beleue G.o.ddes truithe / and do thinke of G.o.d true and worthye thinges / The owtwarde worshippe is of the bodye / which is declared by those owtwarde signes that do belonge to the true worshippe of G.o.d / In lyke maner there are two kindes of Idolatries / one is inwarde / which is the Idolatrie of the mynde / that is when a man dothe not thinke well / nor beleue trulye on the true lyuing G.o.dd / but dothe fayne vnto him selfe throughe false doctrine / either a strauge G.o.d in his owne mynde / or strauge worshippinge of G.o.d: An other is outwarde wich is Idolatrie of the bodie / and that is wh? we do bestowe the worshippe wich is only due vnto G.o.d vppon creatures / And wh? we do owtwardlye worshippe G.o.d other wise then he wilbe worshipped.

Truly Theise dissemblers do not giue to G.o.d this worshipp of mynde and bodie which is due vnto him / but the Idolatrie of mynd and bodie they do commytt / bothe because they owtwardlie do ioyne with papistes in their Idolatrie / and because in their mynde they do persuade them selues that it is lawfull for them so to do. We thinke / (saye they) as you thinke / and in our hartes we do reteyne the truithe / and so our mynde is pure. But your bodyes ye do giue ouer to the deuill and to Idolls.

[[1. Cor. 6.]]

Thy bodye / sayeth Paule / is a membre of Christe / why doest thow make yt the membre of an harlot? here they will saye againste me / that Paule spake this of whordome / I graunte that: But the prophettes do teache vs that the moste vile and horrible whordome is Idolatrie. Hieremie / Ezechiel / d the other prophettes do speake so against the Iues and their Churche / that they name it to be euen like an harlot which hathe opened her legges vnd[er] euerye tree that hade any bowghes to Idolls and vnG.o.dlye Idolatries. Wherfore if thow maye not make thy bodye the membre of an harlot, thow muste not make yt the membre of an Idoll. This collation betuene whordome and Idolatrie is playne and true / taughte by the prophettes and Paule. Morouer howe vayne this ther excuse is / that sayinge dothe sufficyentlie declare / in which the lorde p.r.o.nounceth.

[[3. Reg. 19.]]

I haue lefte me seuen thowsand in Israell / of which neuer man bowed his knees vnto baal / nor kissed hym with his mouthe. He sayeth not / which thinke well in their mynde / which do beleue well / but he sheweth the signe of owtwarde worshippinge / that is to bowe the knee / and kisse. which doth teache that ther is required vnto the true worshipp of G.o.dd / not a pure mynde only / but the owtwarde sygne / token / and doinge of worshippe / and seruice. The lorde our G.o.d is not content with halfes / he will not part stakes with the dyuel.

[[Esay. 45.]]

All knees (saith the lorde) shall bowe vnto me. G.o.d will not parte so / that he shall haue the mynde / and the dyuell the bodye. All is myne / saythe the lorde / and I will haue all or none / I will haue bothe the obedience of the harte and the bowinge of the knee: Which worship by these thy dissemblinges thou takest from G.o.d / and so thou dost robbe him of his honor / and bestowe it vpon Idolles / euen popishe ma.s.ses. But thou saiste / I despise the Ma.s.se / and all Idolatrous poperie in my harte: why then doest thou prost.i.tute thy body vnto yt? My mynde ys pure thou saiest: yee / but G.o.d will haue mynde and bodye pure. If this thy reason and excuse were of any force / then mighte the Corinthians haue sayde to Paule / why doest thou so reproue vs? we also by the grace of G.o.d do knowe that there is no Idoll. A true opinion we kepe in our mynde of G.o.dd his truithe / let G.o.d be ctent with that / and in the meane tyme our bodies shall serue for our cmodyties.

[[1. Cor. 10.]]

But paule telleth them plainlye that they do communicate with deuills. The meates offered to Idolls of their owne nature were pure / yet when the corinthians do eate them with the Idolatrors in ther Idolatrie / then they become (saith paule) partakers of the table of deuilles: when ye then be present at a Ma.s.se / which is an Impure thinge / and do ther as the papistes do / mutch more iustly is it sayed of you / that then ye ar partakers of thos deulishe dragges which ar in the Ma.s.se. Again our men do obiecte and saye: It is not we that haue corrupted theis thinges / we wolde be gladde to haue them pure and incorrupte: ther impuritie must not be adscribed vnto vs. I answer: An other mans synne shall not indeede be imputed vnto the / for eche man shall beare his owne synne: but yet this thinge I do reproue in the / that thou dost communicate with wickednes: This is thy synne / here thou art defyled. and for this shalt thou be iudged. Paule sayde vnto the corinthians:

[[1. Cor. 10.]]

Ar not they which do eate of the sacrifice / partakers of the temple? what saye I then? that the Image is any thinge? or that it which is offered Images is any thinge? Naie. but this I saie / that the thinges which the gentills do offer / they offer to deuels and not to G.o.d. I wolde not that ye sholde haue fellowshippe with the deuills: ye can not drincke of the cuppe of the lorde / and of the cuppe of Deuels / ye can not be partakers of the table of the lorde and of the table of deuels.

Thoughe corrupcion of meates offred vnto Idols is not to be imputed to all them that be partakres of them / (which wer not indeede corrupt of th? selues (as I saide), but when they wer offred vnto Idols that made them corrupte) yeat the veraye communicating and eating of them with Idolatrors is a fault iustly layed to their charge / from which they shuld haue keapte themselues aswell for the honor that they do owe vnto G.o.dd / as for the conscience which they ought to haue to edyfie other men.

If it wer not so / whi did paule thus rebuke the Corinthians?

Yea whi wolde not our holy martirs of the primitiue churche communicat and be partakers in the Sacrifices of the heath?? The martirs might haue saide / we knowe that an Idoll is nothing / and to offer vp sence to them is but an owtward thing / we do it but in bodie / our spret and harte is pure / and that we do / against our will we do it &c. They veryly did know no suche excuse / but they csidered that G.o.dd required this / that they shuld outwardly confes hym / and reproue / and fle from Idolatrie: And therfor aswell for their duties sake towarde G.o.dd / as bicause they wold not offend the brethern by their example / they did gyue their lyfe in the quarell without making ony such blinde excuses.

These men do saye further that the Ma.s.se is not to be lickened iustly vnto the Idolatrie of the heathen / for that was directly forbidden of G.o.dd / so is not the Ma.s.se / saye they: for thoughe it hathe sumwhat swarued aside / yeat is it the Inst.i.tuci of christe. But to the contrarie I do saye / that the Ma.s.se is so farr swarued from the ordinaunce of christe / that it hathe nothing agreing with christis Inst.i.tucion / yea and that it is most directly repugnt uto it / A very Idoll / wherin ma.s.semugers do committe very vile Idolatrie. And this will I proue by diuers reasons. ffurst of all. The Supper of the Lorde / as it was delyuered of christe shold be a publique and a common worcke and action: for Christe our Sauiour made it with his Apostles. But nowe in the Ma.s.se / ther commithe forthe one sacrificing preste / disguised with straunge araye / and he doth all thinges alone / the rest stonde still loking / heeringe / and holding their peace. If paule did worthely and Iustly saye / when the Corinthians did not tarie and loke one for an other / that they did not then eate the Lordes supper / then ther is not the Lordes supper eaten / wher one tarieth not for an other so that they maye eate all together: And how shall we then saye / that the Ma.s.se is the Lordes supper / wher one only sacryficing prest doth eate and drincke vpp all alone? surly it can not be so called: for to be, and not to be the Lords supper / ar contrarie / Paule saith / it is not the Lords supper / wherfor call your Ma.s.se by what name ye will / the Lords supper it is not / for paule is to be beleaued before all ma.s.singe marchauntes.

They saye morouer that in their Ma.s.se / they do offer vpp the sonne of G.o.dd vnto the eternall father for the synnes of the quicke and the deade: And this they do call the princ.i.p.all point of their ma.s.se. But in the Laste Supper of the Lorde that Scacrifice and oblaci was not made / but vpp the crosse / as the scripture witnessith. And as for this their offer?ge / ffurst / paul doth denie it in most playn words in the epistle to the hebrues /

[[Heb. 9. 10.]]

wher he sayeth that all oblacions for synne wer consummate and finished / and all thinges made perfect by that one only oblacion / which christe Iesus our Sauiour in his own parson made of hymself vppon the crosse. The worde of G.o.dd teachithe / that christe was but ons only to be sacrificed and offered / And that Sacrifice no more to be made: for if it wer often to be made / then the furst was not perfect / But the furst was perfect / Therfor ther must be no repeating of it. The papistes do saye / that they dayly offer christe for to take awaye synne / and that this Sacrifice must be dayly repeted of them / The scripture denieth this playnly: And thus ye do se that heere is a playne contradiction.

Again The supper of the Lorde was not inst.i.tuted to the end that such a sacrifice for synne (as they fayne) shuld be made of it / but that in the vse of it the communicantes shuld be put in mynde / and made partakers of that only propiciatorie sacrifice which christe offered ons only for all euer vppon the crosse.

And therfor ther Ma.s.se / in which they wold worcke such marueyles / and the Lordes supper ar vtterly vnlyke. But here they will reply and saye.

The fathers do speake thus of this Sacrifice / We graunte indeede / that the fathers do often tymes speake so as thoughe that the lorde wer offered in this administracion of the Sacrament / or sacrificed: But they vsed this worde / Sacrifice, improperly / for by that kinde of speaking they did onderstonde / the offringes of praise / and sacrifices of thanckes made and gyuen for christes sacrifice done vppon the crosse / This they called to sacrifice. Our sacrificing prests ar not content with this / for they will haue their own worcke to be an vnwonted worcke / belonging to them alone / which neither the scriptures / nor the fathers do teache: ffor to offer this Sacrifice of whiche the fathers do speake / partayneth not to the preist alone / but to the whole poeple that stdith by / and doth cmunicate / And so it is a common oblacion and sacrifice of all / not of the preiste more then of the poeple / but this only that the preist both in wordes and action / doth go before the poeple.

[[de Ciuitate dei. lib. 10. cap. 6.]]

Augustine doth saye / that the churche is offered in that offeringe which it doth offer. For all which do communicate / they do offer them selues vnto G.o.dd / and do testifie that their will is / to abide in christe.

The papistes do holde also that the breade is turned into the substaunce of christes bodie / and that ther remaynith nothing but the qualitie and accid?ce of breade as whitenes / &c. for the substauce / saye they / is christes bodie. But the scripture saith that christe in his laste supper did gyue breade vnto his disciples /

[[1. Cor. 11.]]

and paule callith it breade also / yeat in the Ma.s.se the papistes saye that it is otherwise.

The vse of the breade and wyne by christis inst.i.tuci is only / that the congregacion shuld eate and drincke therof in the remembrance of christe / But the papistes in their Ma.s.se do most shamefully abuse them both. For wheare as the worde of G.o.dd saythe:

[[Deutron 6]]

[[math. 4.]]

Thow shalt worshipp the Lorde thy G.o.dd and hym only shalt thow serue / They in ther ma.s.se do lyfte vpp the breade and wyne / and euen in the rowme of G.o.dd they sett them furthe to be adored and worshipped of the poeple: now how farr this differrith from the vse of christes supper eich man may se. Yea what can be more vile and filthie Idolatrie / then to adore and worshipp a peace of brede d cupp of wyne / as G.o.dd? Be not offended that I do vse theise bare names. I do confes / that whosoeuer acording to the Lordes Inst.i.tuci doth cmunicate with the cgregaci and dothe eate the breade d drinke of the cupp of the Lorde / beholding the deathe of christe with Lyuely faithe / the same man is in sprete d after his manier / made partaker of the body d bludd of the lorde. Contrari wise if thow do not vse the breade and wyne acordinge to the ordinaunce of christe / but gase vppon them / then ar they nothinge els to the / but breade d wyne: But if in a popishe Ma.s.se / or in the popishe hging / heauing / carying / or handelinge of them / thow do worshipp them / th? ar they vnto the a false Idoll / d thow indeede a filthie Idolatror. If therfor thow wilt be partaker of the body and bludd of christe in the holy supper / then eate the breade and drincke the cupp as the lorde hathe inst.i.tuted. G.o.dd wold haue the poeple in the vse of the holy Supper to ascend vppwarde into heauen in mynde and affecti / that they might ther cleaue fast vnto christe. And therfor the true ministers of the churche do labour to the vttermost of their poure / thus to lifte vpp the poeples mynde into heauen / that they shuld not seeke christe in the worlde / that they shuld not thinck ony fleshly or earthely thinge of hym: Theise men clean contrarie in the order of their Sacrament and Ma.s.se do miserably detayn the poeple in the earthe / bynding and holding them to the visible signes.

[[1. Cor. 14]]

The apostle commaundith that thinges shuld not be doone in the congregacion in a straunge tongue / except ther wer an Interpretour / that the thing being vnderstonded of all / the hearers might saye / Amen / and that the edifyinge of them shuld be sought. Now theise men in their ma.s.se do all in the Laten tongue / which is to the common poeple vnknown / and they do defend this theyr doing euen against the worde of G.o.dd. But it is most certayn that christe our sauiour in his administration / and after him all his apostles and disciples which wer hebrues / vsed theyr vulgare hebrue tongue / the Grecians also their greke tonge. And euen vnto this daye the Sclauonians in their churches vse their vulgare and commen speache.